YORK BLVD.

Occidental Plaza

Ξ July 8th, 2008 | → 10 Comments | ∇ 90041, Coffee, Coming Soon, Food, Glassell Park, Shopping |

At long last, Highland/Glasell Park soccer-moms can get their ubiquitously bitter coffee without having to drive all the way to Eagle Rock.  Yes, Starbuck’s, with its 15,000 stores in 44 countries has finally deemed us worthy of their coffee.  Technically, I believe the address is in Glassell Park, but I wouldn’t have believed anyone who told me York Blvd. would have a Starbucks in the foreseeable future.  Let’s hope the new Cafe de Leche isn’t run out of town by the 1,000 lb gorilla that is Starbucks.

Beyond a coffee shop that I don’t plan on ever visiting as I’d rather give my money to Miguel at Antigua or the guys at Casa Blue (which isstill open), Occidental Plaza is also sporting a Long’s Drugs that is already open, and an L&L Hawaiian Plate Lunch joint that actually has potential of receiving my business.  Back in college, when I was a frequent visitor to our youngest state (for reasons I can’t disclose as I value my current relationship) Plate Lunch was a delicacy of the Hawaiian hoi polloi that I couldn’t find on the mainland.  Now, these places proliferate, but it’s still nice to have one nearby.  Personally, I’m looking forward to the Korean spare ribs, chicken katsu, and mac salad.  Based on a recent drive-by, it looks like L&L and the Starbucks are opening imminently.

Antojitos Chilangos

Ξ July 8th, 2008 | → 1 Comments | ∇ 90042, Food, Highland Park |

Hole in the wall eateries come and go pretty quickly in the omnipresent strip malls of LA.  After three visits, all without bringing my camera inside, let’s hope Antojitos Chilangos sticks around.  Antojitos roughly translates to “little cravings” and this little shop specializes in simple cuisine specific to the Mexican capital.  (I am informed however that chilango, referring to someone from Mexico City, is not a word to be thrown around in the wrong context.)

The specialty of Antojitos Chilangos has to be their panbaso.  This large sandwich starts with a salty bolillo roll that is dipped in a mildly spicy red sauce.  The roll is then filled with potatoes, chorizo, lettuce, and cotija cheese.  Sprinkle a little salsa on top and gorge (with a fork and knife to keep your hands clean).

(Photo: ocfoodblogs.blogspot.com)

In true D.F. fashion, you can also grab some tacos de canasta filled with either beans, cheese, or chicharron.  I’m not sure if these are authentically cooked in a basket as they are in Mexico, but they are an excellent small appetizer, which is important here as they really take their time bringing out the panbasos.  If you’re so inclined, Antojitos Chilangos also serves a filling gordita, and some fruity liquidos with bananas and strawberries that make for a nice refreshment on these hot summer afternoons.

Figueroa Produce

Ξ July 1st, 2008 | → 2 Comments | ∇ 90042, Food, Highland Park, Shopping |

The readers are really motivating me to get off my ass and do some posting on the neighborhood this week.  This time, Heather sent an email with the subject line “I Love Figueroa Produce” (It’s so nice to see proper capitalization in an Email…).  Well Heather, I love Figueroa Produce too.

Located on the NE corner of Figueroa and York, and right next to the best Spanglish named business in HP, “Wateria”, Fig Produce is a relatively small market in a space that used to house a Blockbuster Video.  The exterior is simple, clean, and unassuming, but the interior represents a microcosm of where much of Northeast is headed.  Think a smaller version of Trader Joe’s.  Chicken Fajita mixture ($1.99/lb) marinates next to ready-to-grill game hen.  Dried fruits and nuts share shelf space with wasabe peas ($2.29/lb) while European cookies offer a less healthy alternative.  The produce looked fresh and was priced decently (2 cantaloupes for $1).  They even sold the canned coconut milk for my next foray into Tom Kha Kai soup (The first batch turned out surprisingly well).  Part ethnic market and part specialty store, its biggest shortcoming is a paucity of baked goods.  One small shelf had a few types of bread in it.  Figueroa Market doesn’t have enough to be my only grocery stop, but it should save me the 10 minute drive to Von’s or Trader Joe’s in the future.